Diomande transforms Real Madrid: what happens when Vinicius returns?

Real Madrid C.F.

There are opportunities that appear by chance and players who know how to take advantage of them. That's exactly what Yan Diomande is doing at Real Madrid. The four-match ban for Vinicius opened a door that seemed difficult to get through, and the Ivorian not only has stepped through it, but is threatening to stay there.

The win over Racing de Santander (0-3), with another genuine Diomande stunner, confirms a trend that is hard to ignore. The Madrid side has strung together victories in their matches since the Brazilian's ban, offering a sturdier image and finding a collective rhythm that previously seemed to resist José Mourinho.

Diomande adds more than dribbles and goals

81

Diomande
18.730.000€+90.000€13

J11

5

J10

16

J9

12

J8

6

J7

DL

23

It would be unfair to reduce the young player's excellent run to his offensive numbers, even though they speak for themselves. His pace, directness and ability to create danger bring to mind precisely Vinicius's best qualities.

But there's an important difference: Diomande is also standing out for what he does when he doesn't have the ball.

The Ivorian presses, drops back, helps his full-back and gets actively involved in defensive duties. That commitment allows the team to keep better distances between the lines and provides security that is essential for the other players to develop their game.

That doesn't mean all of Madrid's problems have disappeared, nor that Vinicius is the only one responsible for what came before. However, it's clear that the white side now gives off a sense of balance, commitment and collective solidarity that it hadn't always shown.

And the most interesting thing is that Diomande is achieving all of this without giving up the spectacle. Against Barcelona he already showed his personality, and versus Racing he proved again that he also has a goal threat.

Is Real Madrid better without Vinicius?

It's a question that just a few months ago would have sounded like a provocation. Today, at least, it deserves to be asked.

Vinicius is still an extraordinary player, capable of deciding matches on his own, with a trajectory that Diomande is still a long way from matching. But football isn't lived in the past and the starting spot should be earned on current performance, not on the name that appears on the shirt.

The Brazilian isn't going through his best moment, while his replacement is answering with standout performances. What's more, Madrid seems to have found a formula in which Mbappé, Bellingham and the rest of the attackers coexist more naturally.

Maybe the problem was never exclusively Vinicius, but rather the difficulty of fitting so many individual talents into a collective system, along with everything that the Brazilian's presence on the pitch entails, especially away from the Santiago Bernabéu.

Mourinho's big dilemma when the ban ends

40

Vinícius Júnior
13.750.000€+370.000€-

J11

-

J10

-

J9

-3

J8

3

J7

DL

31

Vinicius still has to serve one more match of his ban in La Liga, against Valencia, and he will be able to return to domestic competition after the November international break, against Celta.  That's where the real test for Mourinho will come.

Will he automatically give the spot back to the Brazilian because of his status? Will he keep Diomande as a starter after earning it on the pitch? Will he try to fit both of them into the same starting XI? The last option also doesn't seem straightforward. Shifting Diomande to the right could take away part of his influence, precisely when he's shining in his preferred position.

My view is that sitting Diomande down now just to get Vinicius back would be a mistake. Not because the Brazilian has stopped being important, but because the message to the dressing room would be hard to justify: no matter how well you play, some players will always be ahead.